Following his disagreement with Man City officials a move to the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid has been mooted, although it remains to be seen who could afford either the transfer fee or Carlos Tevez's wage demands. Whatever happens it is a safe bet to expect the unexpected where Tevez is concerned. By Alfonso Torr.
From the slums of Buenos Aires to arguably the richest club on the planet, Carlos Tevez's footballing journey has been quite incredible.
And there is no sign of the drama relenting as Tevez has risked the wrath of Manchester City fans after handing in a transfer request that was promptly rejected earlier this month. That despite earning a reported weekly wage of well over GBP200,000 and with three-and-a-half years to run on his five-year deal at Eastlands.
The striker is citing personal anguish at being apart from his two young daughters, who are back home in Argentina, as one of the reasons for his discontent. Another is that his “relationship with certain executives and individuals at the club has broken down and is now beyond repair” as City and Tevez appear set to remain at loggerheads, especially off the pitch.
“I wanted to leave in the summer, but was convinced to return to the club. Sadly, my feelings have not changed,” said Tevez, who joined City in summer 2009. “It is regrettable that we have reached this situation.”
City, though, have put a different spin on the situation, expressing their disappointment at the “actions of his representative” over the matter amid suggestions that talks were ongoing over a new, improved deal to keep Tevez at Eastlands. With the transfer window set to open on January 1, speculation is likely to intensify over Tevez's future in the coming weeks. A move to the likes of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid has been mooted, although it remains to be seen who could afford either the transfer fee or his wage demands. Whatever happens it is a safe bet to expect the unexpected where Tevez is concerned. Like when he left Manchester United to join City. Like when he scored the goal that preserved West Ham's English Premier League status on the final day of the 2006/07 season against United before moving to Old Trafford. Like when he helped Argentina to a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.
The 26-year-old is a livewire player when he is in top form and has scored over 130 goals at club level in little over 300 appearances. A return of 12 goals from 58 outings for Argentina also makes for good reading.
When it comes to work rate, Tevez is in a class of his own, which goes a long way to explaining why he has been a fans' favourite at every club he has played for. Tevez made his senior debut at Boca Juniors in 2001 at the age of 16 and went on to help the iconic Argentine club win the Copa Libertadores in 2003 and the Torneo Apertura in the same year.
A two-year spell in Brazil with Corinthians followed and Tevez again proved an instant hit, captaining the club to the 2005 domestic title. West Ham came calling in August 2006 and lured Tevez and team-mate Javier Mascherano to Upton Park in a deal that would later cause controversy in English football and a lengthy legal battle due to the issue of third-party ownership.
On the pitch, Tevez and Mascherano initially struggled to make an impact for the Hammers. In fact, the latter made just five appearances in his one season at West Ham.
Tevez, though, was more instrumental, scoring seven goals in the final 10 games of the campaign as West Ham avoided relegation and condemned Sheffield United to the drop. The Blades felt aggrieved at the part Tevez had played in West Ham's escape and the fact the London club had broken Premier League rules regarding player ownership. A long-running saga followed that eventually ended following an out-of-court settlement between the clubs.
Tevez was a Manchester United player by the time the issue had been resolved, having joined on a two-year loan deal in August 2007.
He won the Premier League and UEFA Champions League in his first season with the Red Devils. Another EPL title followed in 2009, along with the League Cup. However, Tevez cut an increasingly frustrated figure at what he perceived as a lack of first-team opportunities in the 2008/09 season.
United's attempts to keep hold of Tevez ultimately failed and he became the first player to move between the two Manchester clubs since Terry Cooke in 1999. It was a transfer that caused huge controversy in the city — especially following the publicity stunt surrounding the “Welcome to Manchester” poster — but nevertheless Tevez has proved a shrewd signing for City, who harbour hopes of emerging from United's shadow. Tevez married wife Vanesa and the couple have two daughters called Florencia and Katia. A GBP140,000 Bentley is Tevez's pride and joy, along with a host of other super cars.
FACTFILEName: Carlos TevezPosition: StrikerClub: Manchester CityD.O.B: 05/02/1984Argentina caps: 58Argentina debut: v Ecuador, March 2004Moment to remember: Scoring a penalty in United's thrilling shoot-out win over Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow is a definite career highlight.
Moment to forget: Tevez showed his fiery side in November 2006 when he reacted badly to being substituted against Sheffield United and stormed out of Upton Park.
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